Pangilinan: Too Early to Name Front-Runners for 2028 Polls

MANILA, Philippines — Following the release of a Pulse Asia survey on voter preferences ahead of the 2028 elections, where Sen. Robinhood Padilla topped the senatorial race, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has taken to social media to state that it is too early to name the front-runners. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Pangilinan said the 2028 elections are still in the distant future. “2028 is still a long way off. No one is backing down!” he said. He also posted photos of a pre-election survey from April 20 to 24, 2025, where he ranked in the 16th to 18th place, only 4 percent shy of being included in the top 12. He highlighted that the survey had a ±2 margin of error, implying that the Senate race was “anybody’s ball game”. Pangilinan recalled the previous year’s survey result where Sen. Bam Aquino ended up as the second preferred senate candidate from being in the 11th to 18th bracket during the pre-election survey, while he placed fifth. “The important thing is, we did not give up and fought hand to hand until the end. The result? Bam came in number 2 and we came in number 5. While Risa’s Akbayan Partylist came in number 1 and Leila also won the ML Partylist. Remember. The people did not abandon us and I am confident that the people will not abandon us,” he added. Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson expressed support for Pangilinan, adding that surveys are mere “snapshots of voters’ preferences” during specific periods. “Yes, Sen. Kiko. We may have run under different alliances, but I am happy that you and Sen. Bam not only made it but won strong and big. That being said, surveys are nothing but snapshots of voters’ preferences during specific timeframes,” he said. The Pulse Asia survey, conducted from June 28 to July 6, showed that Padilla was the top preferred candidate at 48.4 percent, followed by Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto at 47.9 percent. Meanwhile, other senators included in the Magic 12 bracket were Sen. Raffy Tulfo in 2nd to 5th places at 43.9 percent, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano at 43.2 percent ranked 3rd to 5th places, Sen. Loren Legarda at 40.3 percent also ranked 3rd to 5th places, Sen. Manny Pacquiao at 35.6 percent ranked 6th to 7th places, Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay at 32.4 percent ranked 6th to 7th places, Education Sec. Sonny Angara at 27.2 percent ranked 8th to 9th places, Sen. Mark Villar at 26.1 percent ranked 8th to 9th places, and Ben Tulfo at 20.7 percent ranked 10th to 12th places. /jpv